


Take a chance on me!

by TheGreenseer



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Art Director! Lyanna, Business man! Rhaegar, Cersei is a bad ass businesswoman, F/M, Lannisters being their general selves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-01-26 17:50:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21378112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreenseer/pseuds/TheGreenseer
Summary: Cersei is a hard as nails boss, totally ruthless, at Buzz Inc. the flagship PR firm of Lann Ltd. Lyanna is the art director who is the most dramatic ever. Cersei likes Rhaegar but Rhaegar likes Lyanna who likes Jaime but doesn't know it and Jaime is forever pining after his sweet sister. Let the circling begin.
Relationships: Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister, Cersei Lannister/Rhaegar Targaryen, Jaime Lannister/Lyanna Stark, Lyanna Stark/Rhaegar Targaryen
Comments: 12
Kudos: 24





	1. Of Silver Stags and Golden Darts

**Author's Note:**

> If you change your mind  
I'm the first in line  
Honey I'm still free  
Take a chance on me!

“I’m not in the running for the Entrepreneur of The Year, Cersei” said Rhaegar with a smile as he motioned for her to sit down. “Not yet”, she replied, “but you will be. I’m sure the nominations are still being filed. You could still apply.”

If Rhaegar was a little more imaginative he would see the starry shine in Cersei’s eyes, but he wasn’t so he didn’t.

“I don’t think I am worthy of even being nominated for it”, he said as he sat himself down at a nice little table in a formal business lunch place. “But let’s talk of other things, like the pre launch buzz around the Silver Stag.” Cersei’s slavering grin went down a notch, but then it beamed right back up. Some men found competence hot. May be Rhaegar was one. She dove headfirst into publicity figures around the car, and by the end Rhaegar seemed suitably impressed, but unaffected by her charm.

  
“Was your lunch successful Ms. Lannister?” Her insipid secretary was an old woman hoisted on by Dad to spy on her, and she always tried to get in with her boss by pretending to be nice.

“Yes it was, Joceyln.” She rolled her eyes at the insipidity.“ Send Lyanna inside in ten minutes.”

  
Cersei went through the sheaf of papers that had arrived on her desk since her absence. The Martells had asked for a quote for publicity of the empire’s young star Elia. The dossier Joceyln had prepared for the actress was a brief and crisp one, and as she went through it Elia seemed to be the Maddona mother figure type. She made mental notes to ask for a romantic figure in her life as it would fit in well with the rest of her image.

Lyanna sailed into the office with all the drama of a suffering artist. “What up, Cers?” she asked as she sat and swiveled on the office chair in circles.

  
“I wanted to know the status of artwork for the next round of Silver Stag promotions. Be brief, don’t take much of my time and I’ll give you a cookie.”

  
“Yes boss!” sang Lyanna. She giggled and then cleared her throat in an exaggerated manner, and then dropped the act altogether. “I met that oaf Robert, who is on point for the project from Targ Corp and that fucker is the worst lecher I have ever seen, so I don’t know if he agreed to my sketches because he liked them or my tits”, she mimed gagging, “But it’s progressing on schedule for now. The still details are mostly ironed out except for a few things which I’ll decide in the moment on the day of the shoot. And I have nothing more to report.”

  
“Succinct and evocative.” Cersei made a pleased face, and went on. “Have an imaginary cookie and write up the details. I’ll be on location for the stills, so I want to know each and every detail.”

  
Lyanna frowned in one part disbelief and three parts resentment. “Are you planning to micromanage my shots? I’m not letting you do that.”

  
Cersei grimaced, already on the defensive. “You are not letting me do anything. I’m your boss and I can oversee what I want to. I hope you’ve gone ahead on the Beesbury honey ads and wrapped the shots up?”

  
“Yes it’s done ,” Lyanna replied sulkily.

  
“I let you have free rein over it. You win some, you lose some, little wolf. Get over it.”

  
Lyanna bowed in mock servility, and left in response.

  
_Such a talented girl but a debilitating lack of manners. I would be her mentor if she’d let me._

  
Cersei thought of the lunch with Rhaegar with greater satisfaction, knowing that the publicity stills for the flagship car Silver Stag from Targ Vehicles Corp will be done well as she’d oversee them. The next major project would be the Elia Martell brand establishment and publicity. There were some other papers which needed her perusal, which she decided to handle before delving into the facts about Brand Martell as it was now. Some letters of invitation for parties which were sent by uppity social wives trying to aim high for the names in attendance. She had her own shorthand which her secretary would decode and write replies accordingly. One party was a social mixer at Targ Corp, with a plus one date. _Rhaegar might be there_. Acpt, she scribbled. Finishing with her correspondence, she turned her attention to the Martell project. She studied the dossier in greater detail in preparation for the meeting with Elia and Lewyn, which would be soon, having written a figure for her secretary. She worked on it for a bit, scribbling away in the margins about possible events to generate necessary publicity buzz.

  
“Joceyln”, she called out loud.

  
“Yes Ms. Lannister?”

  
“Deal with all of this correspondence and send off a reply to the Martells couched in beautiful terms but do not brook any words about the quoted figure.”

  
“What if they choose to go elsewhere?”

  
“Then let them. They’ll be leaving the most premier PR company because we don’t haggle like fishwives.”

  
“Yes Ms. Lannister.” She withdrew softly.

  
Cersei smiled. Today had been a productive day. Now to the task that she kept putting off, that of typing a business report for her dad, and boss, who asked her for weekly updates on the dealings and projects of Buzz Inc, a PR firm and subsidiary of Lann Ltd. It was his way of holding control over her, knowing that she had to validate his time and investment in her. She wrote up the wrapping up of the Beesbury project, the handling of a PR fiasco by young Waymar Royce, shoots for publicity of the Crane women and provided the numbers, hours worked and dragons earned. Finishing with that took her past 6pm when she stepped out of her office done for the day.  
Joceyln stood as Cersei passed. “Good bye Ms. Lannister”

  
She only nodded in response, and walked straight on ahead to her employee’s cubicle but Lyanna was not there. To look for the talented and willful art director she decided to ask her junior assistants but all of them were missing and the office was mostly deserted. A loud cheer went up from the common room though, and she followed it to investigate.

  
Lyanna, her employee and Jaime, her twin were involved in a battle of darts using a pin up board hanging on the wall. A cheer went up every time someone hit close to a 10. _On company dime! Unforgivable!_  
Cersei waited for a moment but the competition seemed to intensify and she called out in her high and clear voice, “Jaime!”

  
The whole block turned to stone en masse and people looked panicky at the boss having caught them in a moment of frivolity.

  
“Sweet sister, come and see how I’ve been kicking Lyanna’s ass at darts.” Jaime sing songed and walked behind her cradling her with both arms.

  
Cersei smiled a slow smile which told Jaime that this was not going to fly and his smile curdled. She slowly walked up, unpinned the dart board and threw it to the ground. She turned to Lyanna, “Wrap the Silver Stag promos and we’ll have a chat.”  
She walked out as serenely as she had entered and Jaime followed behind her. It was moments like these when she relished the power that came on being at the top of something. It was a heady feeling.


	2. Steamy Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cersei manipulates the fuck out of Jaime with a sob story, and Jaime goes along with it because of LOVE!

Her driver swiftly opened her car door and stood unobtrusively as she disembarked down the stairs, Jaime tagging along at her heels. He kept trying to say something but Cersei walked just a little too fast for him to catch up and speak properly.

_Jaime is a fool if thinks I’ll discuss my employees’ misbehavior in public._

After they got into the car, Jaime turned to speak.

“Cersei, let a little loose, don’t punish your minions..”

Before he could complete, Cersei cut in, “My employees, Jaime, and they were on company time, enjoying. They should know better than to think they can get away with this. I absolutely do not tolerate any slack from my premier team”, though she was pleased he called them her minions. The idea of being the supreme leader of a willing and trained force had its lure.

“But it was an impromptu thing, not a planned bunk your work and play darts thing. Lyanna challenged me and as a Lannister I had to defend our honour.”

Cersei’s expression shifted slightly and Jaime realized it was the worst thing he could’ve said. The blow came, as it always was with Cersei, in an iron fist dressed in silk.

“Since when are you darts buddies with my art director?”

“Since a month when I saw her playing darts while I was waiting outside your office?”

Oh no, _this_ was the worst thing he could’ve said.

Cersei nodded at him and pulled out a bottle from the ice cooler. A nice red wine from the look of it, and she used a near-by stocked corkscrew to open it, brow furrowed in concentration. Jaime had never seen anything more beautiful, full of incandescent rage contained beneath a calm veneer.

She produced two glasses from the side of the ice cooler, and offered one to Jaime who took it silently. As she poured the wine for each of them and swirled her glass to let it breathe, Jaime attempted a final charge.

“Sister dearest, I am sorry I decreased your employees’ productivity.” He took a swill of wine for some liquid courage, wishing to keep Lyanna out of it. “It was a stupid bet between us and I wanted to win it, which is what I was doing before you broke up the party.”

“I expected better from them. What you did is none of my concern. I do not care about your stupid little bets with Lyanna. I…, ” she drank heavily from her glass, “I expected them to be hard at work, not whiling away their time. Especially Lyanna. And I’m your only sister Jaime.”

“Why her, specially?”

“Since when are you so interested in my staff? ” Finishing her wine, she let the hurt she felt colour her words. “Earlier when I used to discuss my staffing issues you never paid any attention, now what has come over you? Since when do you care? ”

“Well forgive me but you conveniently neglect to mention the time when you brought it up.” He opened his mouth to say more but Cersei stopped him with a hand clasping his wrist tightly, gesturing to the driver with her eyes.

“Jesus your hand is freezing,” he remarked carelessly to change the topic, shrugging away the consequences of what he was about to do, just like he typically had always shrugged away the responsibilities and duties as the Lannister heir. She withdrew her hand away.

_The future of Lann Ltd. was a child who played foolishly with subordinates as if it would make them like him. As if liking ever mattered._ Cersei was feared and that was good enough.

Jaime made faces as if he wanted to say more, but fearful of stoking embers of the wrath which was already destined to rain down on him, he restrained himself. The conversation lulled as the car drove on to the destination, which was their family estate. Cersei’s bungalow on their estate to be precise.

The car stopped and the driver held the door open as they disembarked, and moved up the stairs where the butler let them in. They moved silently till they reached Cersei’s dressing room, Jaime mutely following where Cersei led him. He sat on one of the poufs to the side of the mirror, while Cersei sat on the one facing it directly. He waited for the lecture that was about to come. It had been a regular occurrence these days.

She calmly opened her earrings and methodically cleansed her make-up. Eyes first, then the face and finally lips. She gazed at the smeared lipstick stain on the face wipe for a minute before finalizing a thought.

“I’ll be back after a shower.”

Jaime was very silent in anticipation of what she might say. But even his patience had limits.

“Am I allowed to join?”

“I can’t stop you, can I?”

She moved to the shower and he followed, which was how their relationship worked. Stripping quickly, they sighed together as the warm jets of water hit them. He kept his hands to himself, in spite of instinct telling him to hold her close, feel her skin beneath his finger tips. But Cersei had other plans apparently.

She grabbed his neck and pressed her lips furiously to his. _Oh so it’s going to be like that. _

But as his body reacted to hers, as he geared up in one sense of the word, she withdrew silently.

“Don’t let me catch you playing at Anguy the archer with my staff.”

She showered methodically and silently, acting as if her twin brother-lover wasn’t standing at her side, more than a little irate and more than a little turned on, if reluctantly so.

He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, saying, “Can you please stop playing hide and seek with me?”

“I will when you promise not to consort with general everyday girls. I’m yours and you are mine is what we said and I will hold you to it. ”

“But I just played a game of darts.”

“Behind my back!”

His anger was out at full throttle. “Just like you’ve been meeting Rhaegar behind my back?!”

“Rhaegar is different and you know it,” she hissed, pulling her hand free.

“ Exactly ”, he mocked. “You want to marry that guy. I just played a game of darts.”

She was incensed by the fun he made. Her shampooing became more furious.

“Rhaegar is not some random person. And I’m doing it for us. If I marry Rhaegar we have a chance to be together. I’m thinking of us unlike you who’s only thinking of himself.”

“I won’t have you as another man’s prized trophy wife, Cersei. You are mine. ”

“I am yours yes, but I’m also mine and this is the only way. Jaime, please,” she beseeched, “If I marry Rhaegar you can take a position as his CFO while I’ll be the CEO and together we could rule Targ Corp.”

She mumbled slightly, more to herself than to him “I thought you’d like this. This is a way you can be mine forever. That we’ll be together.” She willed tears to glisten in the corners of her eyes. Then she composed her face. “We’ll do it my way. I’ve thought of it. Jaime darling, you’ve just got to agree. ”

_Could he ever say no when she asked like that._ Jaime was played the way a virtuoso serenades with a violin. “I don’t like it, but I agree.”

“And no darts partnerships behind my back?”

“No darts partnerships behind your back,” he echoed.

She came to him again, shower nearly completed, slung her arms around his neck and kissed him so gently that at first it didn’t seem like Cersei, but then it ramped up in its intensity and there was the passion which made him so weak.

They stood together as one, under the waters of the hot shower letting the suds wash out.


	3. Wine and Dine

The outfit for tonight’s party was a striking emerald green wrap dress with exaggerated shoulders. Keeping that in mind, she swept her hair up, back combed it for increased volume and pulled it in a chignon pinning it with a brooch in which the peacock was made out of emeralds.

She always liked to try on the jewelry first, and see herself in her ancestral jewels, always imagined an ancestress many years ago wearing the same pieces, bedecked and bejeweled. It was perhaps the grown up version of playing dress up, but Cersei rarely gave herself the freedom to do something childish. She had never been a child, always striving to be the heir of Lann Ltd, for all the good it did her. But she still tried, if only to hear the three notes of pleasure in her father’s voice when he introduced her as the boss at Buzz Inc., her child and her joy.

She gave herself a minute of luxury in imagining herself, all dressed up, in a party with Rhaegar, but Jaime’s touch brought her to real life. His hands were still on her back, after he had hooked the bra on, like a silent question of where she had gone. She shook off his wordless concern, and wore the dress, standing in front of him again expectantly. He was ever dutiful, ever devoted, ever hers and he silently zipped up her dress for her, after which he went back to his own dressing. A stylishly cut suit of forest green, with a black shirt and red tie was his outfit for the night. They always coordinated their outfits and the media called them The Golden Pair, a name she loved.

Today The Golden Pair would make an entrance at the launch party of Crakehall and Co.’s new subsidiary, a media group and a new television channel. It was important to be seen, especially in the right circles, where the right people could be asked to feature stories that they wanted to run or interviews they wanted to be done, to build up just the right image. Like every social event that Cersei ever went to, she calculated the cost of spending her time there and whether it was worth it or not. And this one was.

The rest of the evening passed as Cersei silently put on enough make up to look not made up while Jaime fidgeted restlessly in the background. When she was satisfied with it, she gestured and true to his core, Jaime followed her out. From the corner of her eye she could see that Jaime was still not okay with how their conversation had gone, but he wouldn’t start the tough conversation either. That, in Cersei’s not so humble opinion was his problem. His desire to be liked by everyone overweighed everything. Her driver smoothly held the door open and ushered them in, knowing exactly where they had to go to next without any words. He went through a copy of her itinerary every week so that she wouldn’t have to ask him every time. It was efficient and crisp, just like she liked it.

Jaime looked as if he wanted to ask something or say something or anything so Cersei forestalled him. “You’ll take care of Crakehall senior, won’t you? I have to talk to Melissa, her channel might prove useful someday.” Jaime didn’t answer. “Jaime?”

“Ah yes, I’ll do it.”

“What will you do?”

“Whatever it is that you asked of me, sweet sister! ” he replied with a dazzling smile and she couldn’t be mad that he was still lost because of the conversation about Rhaegar. He was too pretty, her other half. Even when he did things that should make her mad, he could get away with it.

They arrived at the party and it was a regular social mixer to celebrate the launch of the NEWS24 group, and there were plenty of people to be met and chatted with. Cersei studied the room for a quick moment like a battle general deciding which regions to conquer, and charting out a map for her quest. Jaime had likely trundled off to the bar to gather his ladies court for the night. She first went to her cousins Steffon and Tyrek. Family was always first for Lannisters. She made solicitious queries about the health of her uncle, pointed out some key research sources for Tyrek’s business administration paper and inquired about Steffon’s new designer whose shirts seemed to be suiting him well. He promised to send the contact details along. Family check done, she moved across the room greeting people; Mrs Lefford and her daughter who was about her age, Dr. Qyburn, Mr Beesbury with whom Cersei spent a long time hearing her team’s praises, Styron Lydden who had a famous blog, Mr Payne who was a lawyer rumoured to be a problem fixer for the immensely wealthy, her distant aunt by marriage Dorna Swyft who ran an interior decoration boutique and many others.

In the midst of all the socializing she saw Jaime in one corner of the room from where loud laughs were originating. As expected of him, Jaime had gathered around himself a crowd of simpleton women who laughed at his witticisms, all hoping to bag the Lannister heir. He was in the middle of telling an extremely raucous sounding joke, with his hands making some objectionable gestures. Cersei was in a good mood as this party had been good for business, so she generously let Jaime have his adoring audience until he finished the story to a round of giggles.

“Ladies,” she said, and the throng parted for her, “May I please borrow my brother for a while.” and without waiting for an answer she sailed away with an arm hooked in the crook of his elbow.

“Did you have a fun time, darling?”

Jaime seemed to be piqued at being plucked out of his adoring audience. “I was, until a moment ago.”

“You’ve had enough of frivolities. Now tell me, what interesting gossip do you have to share. What did you learn for me?”

He pretended that this was a huge bother but Cersei was sure he loved to bring her juicy gossip. Why else would he do it like an obedient pet?

“I met Alla Tyrell and she let slip that Margaery has gone on a summer retreat to Qarth.”

“That girl left her course at Oldtown University for a summer retreat?” she frowned, “looks like something is cooking.”

“You are right.” Jaime was once more enthralled by the whip smart mind of Cersei’s, which could figure out everything. “Alla also said she has gone off alcohol. Which probably means one thing.”

“I’ll keep that information to be used later. It’s always good to have dirt on Tyrells.”

He made a game of it, pretending to remember points off a list. “Let’s see... The Vyprens are out of cash because they recently loaned their house jewels to a museum. Gerold Dayne had a hit and run accident which he’s pinning on his driver. This isn’t anything new,” he made a face, “ but Joffrey Tarbeck has married his daughter to a Redwyne of the Arbor and he plans to use their shipping companies to trouble Lann Ltd. ”. He drank a bit of whatever he was holding and it smoothed his dry throat, and kept taking small sips. “Nymeria Sand recently came out as bi and the entire Martell clan is behind her, although that’s no surprise you might remember I had said ages ago that the way she ogled you meant she couldn’t be straight.”Cersei caught on quick. “Even her aunt?” “Yes, in fact what was surprising was that her aunt is experimental apparently. She smirked after saying that so I don’t really know what that means apart from the fact that Elia is not a straight cookie as it seems to be, pun totally intended.” But Cersei was barely listening, thinking of how to reconcile this new piece of information with what she had already planned for Elia, and didn’t respond.

“Cersei? Sweet sister?” He shook her arm as it was linked through his and she jolted out of her thoughts.

“Since when do you care so much about the Martells? You used to call them savages if I remember correctly.”

“They are savages who want a contract with me for Elia’s publicity. I’m interested in it. I must hunt down Nymeria Sand”. Cersei grabbed another glass from a passing waiter and passed her empty glass to him, and she quickly unlinked her arm and left. People would’ve thought it rude but Jaime saw it for what it was. Ambition and ruthlessness left a spark so bright in her eyes, they made his heart stop. She was never more beautiful than when she was on the hunt.

He saw her start up a conversation with the women surrounding Nymeria Sand and had an absurd vein of jealousy shoot through his mind. He would always be second, to her work, to her ambition. He loved her for it but couldn’t he come first once? He looked to his right, where a lady smiled willingly at him and in an act of rebellion he smiled right back and struck up a conversation. If her happiness was work, he too could find it elsewhere.


End file.
